Friday, August 13, 2010

This is definitely not the kind of news I wanted to report.According to the official Lincoln Stars website, Stars assistant coach Nick Fouts is leaving the team and moving back to his hometown of Lake Stevens, Washington. Here's the quote from the Stars website:

Lincoln Stars Assistant Coach Nick Fouts will be leaving the team and returning home to Lake Stevens, Washington. Fouts played three seasons for the Stars from 1998-2001, won two Anderson Cup Championships, and was captain during the Stars' 2001 Anderson Cup Championship season. After four years of collegiate hockey at New England College, Fouts played professionally for three seasons before accepting the Star's offer to become assistant coach for the team.

"Throughout his playing and coaching career, Nick has exemplified what being a Lincoln Star is all about, and we've always been proud to have him representing our organization," said Stars President Jim Pflug. "He's been offered a great opportunity to work in the family business, and although we'll miss him a great deal, we can't argue with his decision to go back home. We wish him the best, and hope we'll see him back in Lincoln soon. He knows the door is always open."

Stars' Head Coach Chad Johnson has had a long history with Fouts, having recruited him to Lincoln in 1997. "I've always appreciated him as a player, as well as away from the ice as I've gotten to know him over the years. He's been a fan favorite in Lincoln for a long time, and Jimmy and I would have liked for him to stay on. But after visiting with him about his decision, I know he's leaving for the right reasons, and we wish him well," said Johnson.

I don't know the specifics of why Fouts is moving back to WA, but I certainly wish him the best. Fouts will always be my favorite Stars player of all-time. My first personalized Stars jersey was a #2 Fouts that I still wear to games. Being a Washington native myself, Fouts was someone I always held in high regard. During his time as a defenseman for the Stars, Fouts was fearless. He may not have been the biggest defenseman on the ice, but he played like he was 6'4", 225 pounds. He had a huge heart and was a natural team leader. This is a huge loss to the Stars organization.

According to a good source, Stars head coach Chad Johnson hopes to have another assistant coach hired within the next week or two.

I'd love to hear from the fans out there regarding their favorite memories of Fouts.

Good luck to Coach Fouts. Nice of him to give us something to talk about in mid-August. Maybe we can get to the "You know you're a Stars fan when..." article soon and that can tie us over until the players report :) I heard they come around Sept. 12-13, so exactly one month now.

Going to miss seeing Nick around the rink. He was one of my favorite players back in the day. I thought he did a great job with the recent players these last few years. Good Luck to Nick on his future endeavor!

My favorite Fouts memory is when he smoked Arthur Femanella (sp?). I remeber Nick clearly won that fight and was mocking him for getting beat by the little guy while the linesmen dragged him away. And, in close second was when Nick, and I'm not positive but I want to say it was Ronkowski, jumped out of the penalty box to retaliate for a cheap shot against Fornier. Good luck Nick, you will definitely be missed.

my days as a Stars fan start with Nick being an assistant coach. I did not get the pleasure of watching him play. But I enjoyed watching him coach the D men during games as he was ALWAYS talking with the guys as they came off the ice. I will miss Nick as he always acknowledged me with a hello in the concourse area before games. I really enjoyed his pre game interviews with Melbye before road games. He had style and toughness and he will be missed no matter who they hire to fill the postion. Good luck Nick!

I was 7 at the time when I really started going and getting into the hockey games and @ this time is when Fouts was playing. He was my favorite player and i always used to call him "nick fights" because apparently in my 7 year old mind fouts and fights were kinda the same and he obviously liked to fight! He will be missed in the fall. Good Luck to Coach Fouts!